The use of structures in bumper systems for absorbing energy is known. Bumper systems typically extend with width size across the front and rear of a vehicle and are mounted to side rails that extend in a lengthwise direction. The typical bumper system includes a steel beam or reinforcing member attached to vehicle side rails and covered by a fascia.
Energy absorbing systems attempt to reduce vehicle damage as a result of a collision by managing impact energy absorption. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) typically require that the bumper beams extend beyond the side rails in order to protect the vehicle during corner impact tests. In addition, the Insurance Institute for Higher Safety (IIHS) has developed a 15% bumper offset test protocol for low speed impact.
Some vehicles have incorporated a small end cap at opposite ends of the bumper beam to support the size of the fascia as it extends around the body of the vehicle. These end caps do not perform any significant crash resistance. Also, material such as foam has been added to the ends of the bumper beam to support the fascia during impact. However, these materials typically only take up space and do not provide any substantial crash resistance improvement. Therefore, there is a need to improve the crash integrity of the corners where the bumper is connected to the side rails.